Group holds signs to protest Walmart shooting


A small group of people held signs in protest Saturday to speak out against the Beavercreek officer-involved Walmart shooting that happened earlier in the week.

State authorities are assisting in the investigation into the Aug. 5 incident in which 22-year-old John Crawford III, of Fairfield, was fatally shot.

Police said he was shot after he did not drop an air rifle when instructed to do so by Beavercreek police officers Sean Williams and Sgt. David Darkow.

Angela Williams, 37, of Fairborn, also died from an apparent medical emergency while running from the incident inside the Walmart store with her 9-year-old daughter.

The protesters, who call themselves the Dayton Ohio Cop Block, carried signs outside the Pentagon Boulevard store.

One read, "Toy Guns Don't Kill People, Cops Kill People," and another stated, "Peace Not Cops."

One man appeared to be openly carrying a sidearm in a holster and was also carrying a toy gun in an effort to show the difference between real and fake guns.

None of the protesters were willing to be interviewed or provide their names.

The coroner's office ruled Crawford's death a homicide. Investigators will have to determine whether the officer-involved shooting was justified or not.

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